A Quarter Century of Growth for Developed Economies

Over the first quarter of the 21st century, clear patterns have emerged among the world's leading developed economies. These include:

- The "New World" economies have growth significantly faster than their "Old World" counterparts. This is due to a combination of investment in high-tech industries, larger commodity reserves and faster-growing populations.

- European economies have been relatively sluggish, with most European economies seeing growth rates trend downwards in recent years.

- Looking ahead, these patterns are forecast to continue, with the United States in particular growing faster than most other large developed economies.